A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

Everyone interviewed at Cicely agreed that this was an institution different from the one of four years before--and a much better one. Most fundamentally, what took place in the classroom between teachers and students, as well as among students, had shifted to a more challenging, integrated, problem-solving, hands-on, real-life-based approach to learning. Teachers' expectations for all students had increased; the school sought to create bilingual and biliterate students. Classrooms are being transformed into home-like environments for students. Among this highly mobile student population, truancy and absenteeism were down, as was vandalism. Community support for the instructional program, school leadership, and approach to discipline was overwhelmingly positive.

Teachers had access to a rich menu of staff development opportunities and consumed them with gusto. The three-day retreats increased staff capacity for problem solving and collaboration. Teachers had substantial control over what took place in the school. Staff repeatedly commented on teacher-initiated reform, acknowledging that the district helped with big ideas but stating that teachers drove implementation in the classroom. Teachers also felt that Cicely could change faster, but that they needed to wait for the district to catch up. What began as an experimental curriculum had stimulated schoolwide and districtwide reform.

Context Cicely Elementary serves about 800 students in an agricultural region. Over 85 percent of the students are from Latino backgrounds, 60 percent are classified as limited English proficient, and a third of the student population come from families who migrate with the seasonal crops. Twenty-one of Cicely's 28 teachers hold bilingual credentials. In 1987, Cicely's reform was stimulated by the superintendent's interest in an innovative science curriculum. Funded by state and private grants, this curricular reform engendered far-reaching systemic reform not only in Cicely Elementary but in the entire district. Designing Thematic Curriculum and Bilingual Education The major curricular reform is an interdisciplinary, thematic approach to teaching science. Teaching and materials are bilingual. Teachers have learned to use cooperative learning and create a corner or space that is "healing," to develop a sense of home in the school. Multiage student groupings will be instituted to create "family" groups. Four teachers will establish quads: two rooms for the integrated thematic curriculum, the other two for labs (technology and science). A key component of the multiage grouping is cross-age and peer tutoring. Although Cicely students have low scores on standardized tests, older students' scores are improving. The school staff feel that these tests do not measure what Cicely students really know, so the school is looking for other types of measurement. Instead of report card grades, Cicely teachers are piloting narrative conference forms based on language arts portfolios and teacher-developed authentic assessments. Teachers Stimulating Change The principal of Cicely, there for nine years, has had to change his style to allow more shared decision making with the teachers and parents. When a vice principal position opened up, he replaced it with two part-time positions, a Coordinator of Restructuring and a parent liaison. Cicely teachers have a variety of collaborative strategies. The science program has a strong coaching element and requires that the entire staff agree to support the pilot teachers in their efforts. Now over 70 percent of the staff participate. The entire Cicely staff, joined by parents and support staff, attended a three-day summer retreat last year to develop a shared vision for change in the school. As a result, the school has a Leadership Team of administrators, teachers, classified staff, and parents to monitor the restructuring process. Soon the district will shift control of eight additional district-sponsored staff development days to the schools. Learning to Plan and Work Together Four years ago, following a districtwide awareness session about the alternative science program, eight Cicely teachers decided to participate. Teachers make a three-year commitment and participate in a two-week training each summer where they develop their theme for the year. They receive a stipend plus funds for purchasing materials. Recognizing that significant curriculum reform takes time, the science program supports a five-year process. The district provides each participating teacher with two to three additional release days per month and eight more days for other staff development activities. A three-year, $250,000 grant from a private corporation funded the summer institutes, where all Cicely staff received training in leadership, consensus building, and developing a vision. To plan and monitor reforms, the Leadership Team is supported by action teams specializing in curriculum, staff development, student assessment, partnerships, and school organization. Further support for the restructuring effort came from a state planning grant. In addition, the district has sponsored information dissemination sessions on topics such as authentic assessment, multigraded classes, creating a community school, and the process of organizational change.

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